How to start your swimming journey

And access swimming’s many benefits

Wading into the North Sea

I’m biased, but swimming is an amazing activity. You can turn to it at any age. You can use it for fitness, competition, long-distance challenges, relaxation, mental health, rehabilitation and fun. You can swim laps in a pool or take it outside to explore rivers, lakes and the ocean. You can break the ice and swim in zero-degree water and you can relax in warm thermal springs. You can swim all around our planet, whose surface is 70% covered in water, and make friends as you do so. Being able to swim gives you access to other water sports and activities such as surfing, kayaking, triathlon and swimrun.

But it can be challenging to make the most of the water and to access all its joys and benefits. Where do you start, how do you find out what’s out there, how do you become a more confident and competent swimmer?

Trial and error is one way. Seeking guidance and advice from more experienced swimmers, either directly or through reading or watching, is another.

A good first step is to reflect on what has drawn you to the water. What are you looking for? List them all. You can swim for multiple reasons. Here are some suggestions for getting started depending on why you want to swim.